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Glenn Beck

Is Mayor Bloomberg Sincere About Party Change?; Search Continues for Missing Ohio Woman; Illegal Aliens Wreaking Environmental Damage

Aired June 20, 2007 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLENN BECK, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, a Bloomberg bombshell. Mayor Mike says, "See you later" to the GOP.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, MAYOR OF NEW YORK: By not being affiliated with the party, I think I`m going to have a better opportunity.

BECK: Mike, don`t let the door hit you where the good lord split you.

Plus, the latest on the missing Ohio mom. The only witness, her 2-year-old son. What impact will this have on a 2-year-old?

And Hillary spoofs the "The Sopranos".

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I`m looking out for you.

BECK: but will her latest campaign gimmick actually make her lose votes?

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My money`s on Smashmouth.

BECK: All this, and more, tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Hello, America.

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has announced he`s leaving the Republican Party. No! He`s becoming an independent. Is he sincere or is this just a calculated political move to set the stage for a presidential run?

Well, here`s the point tonight. Voters beware. Mike Bloomberg is a political wolf in sheep`s clothing. And here`s how I got there. In a press conference today, Mayor Mike sort of explained himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLOOMBERG: It`s my perception that government at all levels is becoming more partisan rather than less. I`m not an expert on the good old days, but everybody that I`ve talked to who was around in the good old days, who I -- whose judgment I value, who sit back and can look at these things, argue that partisanship every day is becoming more important and people are looking at the issues less.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: OK. I agree with what he just said there. He`s saying all the right things. I don`t know the guy, so maybe I`m wrong, but I think he`s saying them for all the wrong reasons. This is not Joe Lieberman, a guy with a track record of being a centrist and bucking his own party for the good of the country.

First, Mike Bloomberg was a liberal Democrat. Then he became a Republican, presumably to ride on Rudy Giuliani`s coattails in the mayor`s office here in New York. And now he`s an independent? That`s three parties in the last few years. He changes parties more often than Britney Spears goes into rehab.

I`m not sure Bloomberg actually believes in anything that the American people believe in, as well. I do think America, and I agree with him on this, is on the cusp of change. It is not about right and left, it is about right and wrong with most of us.

I`ve been saying this on the radio for years. You`ve got to dump your political affiliation, whether you`re a Democrat or a Republican. You want to make these guys listen to you in Washington? Then you need to make them earn your vote. Don`t let them take you for granted.

African-Americans have been given the shaft in big cities all across the country, because they continue to give their votes to Democrats who have led them into nothing but misery time and time again.

Conservatives, on the other hand, have just woken up and said enough to the Republican Party, when they finally came to the realization that their values weren`t really being reflected by the giant elephant.

The best way to send a message is to leave your party. But be warned: there are politicians out there -- I believe Mike Bloomberg is one of them -- who is using this for their own personal gain. It`s imperative to know the difference between somebody who is actually like you and somebody who`s trying to make you think they`re like you.

So here`s what you need to know tonight. If he runs for president, Mike Bloomberg has no chance of winning. He has every chance of hurting the Democratic Party. And he`ll be exposed as a political opportunist, someone who will try to show you he shares your values.

If you`re a traditional red-stater or a blue dog Democrat, believe me, Mike Bloomberg does not share your values or mine.

Joining me now, Republican strategist Amy Holmes and Democratic strategist Peter Fenn.

Amy, let me start with you. Political opportunism, or do you think he`s actually sincere here?

AMY HOLMES, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think he`s setting the table for a possible, potential run as an independent. There`s no way he could get the Republican nomination and to be able to get on ballots across the country. He needs to be an independent.

But Mike Bloomberg, when we look at that -- look at him in terms of relatability, you know, I have a hard time seeing how a bachelor billionaire who lives on East 79th Street between Madison and Park, who wants to take away your guns, your tobacco and your fast food, is going to be appealing to the regular American who might be looking for a change.

BECK: Peter, I think this -- Bloomberg got in. He`s not going to hurt Republicans. I mean, you want a Republican like this, you`ve got to get Rudy Giuliani. He really will hurt the Democrats, if anybody. Do you agree or disagree?

PETER FENN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I`ll tell you, Glenn, I think that`s up in the air right now. I think it depends, of course, who the nominees are. I mean, heaven forbid you`d have three New Yorkers running for president: Giuliani, Hillary and Bloomberg. That would be quite something.

But I think that your point in your commentary, which is the right one, is that people want change right now. You know, 75 percent, three out of four Americans, think we`re seriously off on the wrong track.

More people right now are cynical about Congress and the presidency than at any time in recent history. And if someone like Ross Perot can pick up 19 percent of the vote after he self-destructed in 1992, somebody like Bloomberg could do a heck of a lot better than people think.

BECK: But you know what, but the message with Ross Perot is not the message that, quite honestly, I`m hearing from many of these candidates.

I have yet to hear one of them really truly articulate why America is so disenfranchised with both the Democrats and the Republicans. And it`s this -- it`s not the war. It`s that you`re not either fighting the war to win or you`re not fighting hard enough to get out, one of the two.

It`s about out-of-control spending, and yet you still -- health care is out of control. But you`re not doing anything real except offering more give-always. They are completely disconnected.

And to have a guy step in and say, "Hey, they`re disconnected, and you know what we need to do is take away your guns and regulate your fast food," does anybody think that would be an answer?

HOLMES: It doesn`t really make sense. And let`s remember when Ross Perot was running, he was running in a completely different political environment.

We -- it was after the fall of the wall. Before, you know, 9/11. It was just a completely different environment. And he could appeal to that, let`s get back to basics, let`s clean up our own house.

But the big issue of the day today is Iraq. And again, you look at Mike Bloomberg and you`re thinking, where is his constituency? I don`t see the groundswell of support there for him.

FENN: And I`ll tell you, here`s the problem. I think we`re missing something here.

First of all, it`s going to be a ticket. He`ll most likely, if he does run, he`ll put Chuck Hagel on the ticket, a strong opponent of Iraq.

But let`s look at where the American people are. I mean, you know, we have the highest stock market ever. We have basic -- you know unemployment problems, full employment almost. And still people are cynical. I mean, the key here, guys, is that people want real change.

HOLMES: But Peter, hold on.

BECK: Wait a second.

HOLMES: Peter, hold on. Is a politician...

FENN: Let me finish my thought, Amy. Let me just finish my thought. He is a -- and to a lot of people he will be a non-politician. It will be about the Republican and Democratic parties and someone from the outside.

BECK: Peter...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: Go ahead.

HOLMES: If I can jump in, though. If you`re saying that people are cynical, as a politician who`s gone from Democrat to Republican to independent going to be able to convince the voter that he`s not a cynical opportunist?

FENN: That is a good question. And of course, the only reason that he ran as a Republican was that he could not get the Democratic nomination for mayor of the city of New York.

HOLMES: Right. And we`re -- we`re comparing him to Ross Perot, because Ross Perot was the most successful independent candidate.

BECK: Let me...

HOLMES: There`s another rich New Yorker who tried to run, and that was Steve Forbes.

BECK: Let me -- let me take you in a different direction here. Because what I think -- I think what you`re both missing here is you`re saying that America wants change, and they do. But America does not want change for change sake.

What you`re missing is the reason why we want change. We want change because we don`t believe any of these clowns actually mean what they say. We want somebody who means what they say. Say what you mean, mean what you say.

You know, I was just talking to somebody recently, who I do business with, and I said, look, you know, we can do all these contracts all you want. We could have a huge contract. It doesn`t mean -- it doesn`t mean anything to me.

I want to look you in the eye and shake your hand. I want you to tell me what you`re going to do for me, and I`m going to tell you what you`re going to do for me, or vice versa. That`s what people want.

FENN: They want it straight up. They want honesty. They want someone who also has the ability to get things done. And the problem right now is they don`t sense that the Congress of the United States or this president for sure is getting very much done.

Now, might that change over the course of the next several months? Possible. But I still -- my problem with this is, and I`m, you know, I argue with the Democratic side like crazy.

But I`m telling you, I think that there`s something going on out there that we may not be picking up.

BECK: I think it`s loud and clear, Peter. I do. I think it`s loud and clear.

HOLMES: And getting back to a change candidate, you have to look at who Bloomberg might be up against. And if Republicans nominate either Romney or Giuliani, just speaking of those two, or even Fred Thompson, these are guys who are running as outsiders. These are guys who are running against Washington. So it`s hard to see where Bloomberg fits in.

BECK: All right, guys, thanks a lot.

Now, if you`re familiar -- unfamiliar with Bloomberg`s policies, here`s one that you need to know. He spent Monday in San Francisco with Mayor Gavin Newsom talking about gun control. Sorry I don`t think that fits into mainstream America. Gavin Newsom loves him.

The mayor`s held a news conference to call attention to their campaign called Mayors Against Illegal Guns, or MAIG, I guess. I`m not really sure. What is the program, and is it in line with most Americans?

Joining me now is Jennifer Duffy, the senior editor for the "Cook Political Report".

Jennifer, tell me about his -- his gun control policies.

JENNIFER DUFFY, SENIOR EDITOR, "COOK POLITICAL REPORT": Well, you know, he really wants to get guns off the streets in New York City and get at the source of those guns. So he`s been investigating illegal gun purchases in other states that are then brought to New York.

And that`s very controversial. His position itself, though, is not terribly controversial.

BECK: I would disagree with you. Maybe here in New York City, where I now unfortunately reside. And I, you know -- look, I love this city, always have loved this city, always wanted to live here, until I lived here. It`s insane.

When Rudy Giuliani was here, you -- there were 750 people out of -- how many live here, 8 million, 10 million, 750 people that could have a concealed weapons permit. Bloomberg has taken that down to 200. He`d like it to be at zero.

I don`t think any -- any policy like that is anywhere near in the mainstream.

DUFFY: Well, no, you have to understand what I`m saying. You have to parse this position. Do American -- no, as any politician. That`s what. Do people want the guns off the streets? Absolutely.

But you know what? The devil is always in the details. And what voters are going to have to do is listen to these positions and parse them out.

BECK: This is exactly the reason why -- this is what I was talking about with the last guest. People want somebody to look you in the eye. Well, gun control, here it is.

I don`t want lunatics to have guns. You`re going to have to jump through some hoops to get guns. If you`ve got, you know, medical issues and you`re crazy, whatever, I`m not going to give you a gun.

But if you`re a law-abiding citizen, you have a right to bear arms, period. That`s the way it is.

How -- why do you have to parse everything? Why do these politicians always have to make it into some sort of magic recipe that you have to try to read into? That`s the problem with politics.

DUFFY: Well, sure. And everybody running for office is doing the same thing. So I`m not sure that you can hold Bloomberg up as the exception to the rule.

But the -- I guess the point is, he`s already met with some resistance on his position. And that will take, if he does run, that will follow him on the trail.

BECK: I`ll wait until he meets with Texas.

Jennifer, thanks a lot.

DUFFY: Thank you.

BECK: Coming up, my response to Jimmy Carter`s latest outrage.

Plus, a newborn baby is found on a doorstep just 45 miles away from the home of a missing pregnant mom in Ohio. Possible connection? We`ll have all the latest details on that.

And Hillary Clinton just got made. Her latest "Sopranos" style campaign ad may stroke the pop culture crowd, but will it hurt her chance for the White House? We`ll explain in tonight`s "Real Story".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Coming up, Hillary Clinton is grasping at the pop culture vote with her new "Sopranos"-like commercial. A lot of people think it`s very clever. A lot of people think it`s cheesy. I`m going to show you the clip, and then I`ll give you my thoughts in tonight`s "Real Story".

But first, the search continues for Jessie Davis. This is a story I told you about last night. This is a pregnant mom from Ohio who disappeared last week. Authorities held a press conference earlier today.

Joining me now with a complete update on the story is reporter Keith Kennedy of our affiliate, radio news talk WHLO.

Keith, what is the latest that we heard today?

KEITH KENNEDY, REPORTER, WHLO: Well, actually, Glenn, the press conference today, we didn`t learn a whole lot more, other than a lot of frustration coming from the county sheriff`s office who are looking for this 26-year-old pregnant mother, along with the FBI.

They did come out today and say that they have gotten about 500 different leads and tips to their tip line and their web site. But at this point they`re leading nowhere.

They`re still waiting for some DNA results. You may recall that, on Monday evening, there was an abandoned baby found just about 35 miles from where Jessie Marie Davis was missing. It doesn`t appear at this point there`s a connection, but they`re waiting for DNA results, because Jessie, of course, is pregnant and is set to give birth here in the next seven to ten days. They are waiting right now on those results to find out if this could be her child.

But the lady that came home and discovered that baby on her front doorstep says now that she believes that baby may have belonged to a young lady that she had been involved in some counseling with through her nursing career. So they don`t think it`s connected at this point.

Other than that, the FBI has now issued a $10,000 reward asking anybody with information to come forward. I think you could sense their frustration today that they haven`t found Jessie yet.

BECK: Keith, thanks a lot from 540 WHLO in Akron, Ohio.

I want to switch gears, because I saw this story last night when I watched the rerun of this program. And I couldn`t get past the kid saying, "Mommy was crying. Mommy broke the table. Mommy is in the carpet." And I wanted to get Jeff Gardere on the phone. He is a psychiatrist.

Hi, Jeff.

Tell me, how does this kid -- or does this kid, the 2-year-old that apparently saw something -- "Mommy`s in the carpet" -- does that affect him for the rest of his life? Do they remember something like this?

JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHIATRIST: Exactly the way you`re saying it, Glenn, is exactly what will happen. He may not have active recollections, of course, because of his young age. But he will know that there`s a sense of discomfort, a sense of fear, a sense of anxiety, that something went wrong, and he witnessed that.

BECK: I just can`t -- I just can`t get past this 2-year-old. I mean, my son is 2. And I can`t get past this 2-year-old saying that. I mean, being a cop and hearing, you know, "Mommy`s in the rug", would just tear you apart.

What -- do you know where he is now? He`s with his grandmother, right?

GARDERE: I`ve been told that he is with his grandmother, that she has custody, and that may be because of the somewhat tenuous nature of the relationship that this missing mom had with his father.

BECK: And do they have to be careful -- I mean, here`s possibly the only witness to what happened. Can`t the defense, if they ever catch the guy who did this, or the woman who did this, can they ever say, well, the mom or the grandmother tainted the child? Do they -- can they talk to the child at all?

GARDERE: They may very well say that whatever comes from the child later on when this situation, hopefully, is solved, that he has been tainted by everything that he`s heard by Mom, by relatives. And as we do know, there are some people who have said that perhaps the father has some sort of a violent history.

But I think what`s most important is that right now, the way that they`re working with this young child, they`re not prodding him to say anything.

Not because of issues of evidence later on, or testimony later on, but only because he`s so young, so fragile. He`s already having nightmares. He`s already very upset. They just don`t want him to be any more upset, Glenn.

BECK: Jeff, my -- my mother committed suicide when she was 39. She was an alcoholic. I`m an alcoholic. I remember on my 40th birthday, I went, whew! Because I really thought I was destined to repeat her life.

Let`s say, God forbid, it is a relative that killed the mom here. Will he also have to deal with the thought, "Do I have killer genes in me? Am I going to repeat this kind of mistake?"

GARDERE: This is some excellent insight that you`re bringing into this particular story. Because I`ve worked with very young people who have witnessed a lot of violent acts between parents, other people that they may have seen or who are relatives.

And they feel that they are destined to repeat that same history that perhaps their parents or other people close to them were -- were involved with. So this is something that we will have to be very careful with this particular child, if this does happen.

BECK: God bless this little kid. I mean, I don`t know who didn`t say a prayer for him.

GARDERE: Yes, absolutely.

BECK: Thanks a lot.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Most of America knows that border agent`s job is difficult, but it`s just gotten a whole lot worse. I want you to take a look at this. This is land on the Arizona border that has been ravaged by forest fires that illegal immigrants purposely started to deter agents.

Last month at least five fires were started by illegals below a Border Patrol observation post to try to burn the agents out. And that is just the start of it. I`m going to show you some pictures here in a minute that will blow your mind.

Our agents are being shot at. They`re being assaulted, rammed with cars, attacked with homemade bombs. They`re waging all-out war on our country, and our politicians are sitting on their hands.

T.J. Bonner, he`s the president of the National Border Patrol Council. Joins me now.

T.J., tell me about this specific area that we just saw. This is the most porous place in our whole border, is it not?

T.J. BONNER, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL: It is. Currently, about half of the traffic that comes across our southwest border goes through, oh, probably 200, 300 mile stretch there in Arizona.

BECK: OK. Last year, 500,000 people were apprehended. So we have no idea how many were actually -- actually got through. But half a million people were caught last year in this place.

BONNER: Right.

BECK: Now, you -- I want you to take me through some of these pictures that we have. You show me these pictures and show America these pictures. This is a brick. And what was it used for?

BONNER: It was used to break in the window of a Border Patrol vehicle, and you`ll see blood...

BECK: I want -- I want to warn you these are very graphic pictures. The next few pictures are very graphic.

BONNER: You`re going to see blood all over the interior of that vehicle. And that is from the head of that agent, who was severely injured when that large size rock -- and that`s what we`re talking about here, Glenn. We`re not talking pebbles. When our agents are rocked, they`re rocked with large size objects.

And that obviously was thrown with so much force that it not only smashed the window, but it smashed the head of that agent.

BECK: Tomorrow I`m going to do -- I`m going to do a report on a group of people that I think most Americans have never even heard of, the Zetas.

These guys -- our border is completely out of control. The attorney general of Mexico said this paramilitary group that has now just overthrown drug cartels and is seizing power down there, the attorney general of Mexico said the Zetas are in control of many states in Mexico. And that`s who`s controlling our border, is it not?

BONNER: It`s a war zone down there, Glenn. It`s a war zone. Every eight hours on average, a Border Patrol agent is assaulted. Something needs to be done. The politicians need to take action.

BECK: So what exactly -- what exactly motivates these border agents? You know, Bush has promised more border agents. I don`t know how you`re going to -- I don`t know how you`re going to train them and all of a sudden set them loose and make sure that they don`t go corrupt either, with all the money and influence that is happening down there.

What exactly motivates the border agents to do this job? I mean, if you look at pictures of their brains splattered out all over their squad cars, and nobody`s paying attention to it, why would you go to work?

BONNER: Pure and simple, it`s patriotism. They love this country, Glenn, and they want to protect it. They want to secure our borders. The politicians and their bosses aren`t giving them any help, but they go out there every day and do their best.

BECK: Let me tell you something, politicians, this is why America is sick of you. Those pictures is why America is angry.

T.J., thanks a lot.

BONNER: Thanks, Glenn.

BECK: Up next, Jimmy Carter says the U.S. policy on the Palestinians is, quote unquote, "criminal." Yes, we`ll answer that latest outrage from Jimmy Carter. Hey, Jim, you and me, the pie hole, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Coming up, do you remember the judge that was crying all the time in the Anna Nicole Smith hearings? Well, he`s retiring. Could the legal system`s loss be television`s gain? A retrospective in just a bit.

But first, welcome to the "Real Story." It is no secret that middle-aged politicians running for president are way more, you know, with it and Internet-savvy than the rest of us. I mean, when I think Hillary Clinton, I think next-gen, cutting-edge technology, dude, don`t you? Now, thanks to her latest and, quite frankly, brilliant Web video parody of "The Sopranos" finale, I think of something else when I think of Hillary Clinton. I think really bad actress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Anything look good?

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: They have some great choices. I ordered for the table.

B. CLINTON: No onion rings?

H. CLINTON: I`m looking out for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Oh, let`s just keep the jokes confined to your position on health care, Hillary, OK? But if you thought that video was uncomfortable, check out the artistic message that ninth-tier Democratic candidate Mike Gravel has for you. Watch this.

The staring goes on for minutes. It does. Which, I mean, it`s cool, if you`re running for like lead serial killer, but not so much if you`re running for the leader of the free world. Just saying.

Fred Thompson, who`s technically not running for anything yet, also used the Web to distribute a scathing video reply to a personal attack from Michael Moore. Watch a clip of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FMR. SEN. FRED THOMPSON (R), TENNESSEE: You know, I`ve been looking at my schedule, Michael, and I don`t think I have time for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: OK, here`s the real story on all of these videos. They may result in a lot of clicks, but only the really good ones, the ones that make a real point, even have a chance to result in a lot more votes. If you`re inspired by robotic politicians attempting comedy then, well, I mean, Hillary was probably your candidate anyway. Aside from the fact that Mike Gravel is clearly the mayor of Crazytown USA in that video, these videos carry another lesson, as well.

Anything and everything in politics is about to change. It may have already changed. The 2000 election might as well have been the Johnson-Goldwater election from `64, because that`s how irrelevant the old way of campaigning has become. The candidate who capitalizes on that, the candidate who figures out how to use the Internet and really connect and have meaningful conversations with people all across America, may just be our next president.

Michael Graham is a former Republican political consultant and talk radio host now for WTKK in Boston. Mike, you saw the video. "Sopranos," good or bad?

MICHAEL GRAHAM, FORMER GOP CONSULTANT: First of all, I was hypnotized by Mike Gravel. So if I suddenly start clucking like a chicken, I apologize.

BECK: Bizarre, isn`t it?

GRAHAM: It was weird. Look, you know, you hit on something about, you know, the hipness factor. It`s so pleasant to have the name Hillary and the world hip in the same sentence.

BECK: Never been done before.

(CROSSTALK)

GRAHAM: But when you`re doing primary elections, primaries are about what kind of party you want, and general elections are about what kind of country you want. So you`re talking about a small universe of people, and you need activists to move on your behalf. This whole YouTube Internet blogging movement is a great way, you know, to get to those kind of geeky losers who sit around at primetime watching blowhards like me talk...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: No, it`s true. It`s true. Who`s really paying attention at this point? This is to help from the fatigue.

GRAHAM: And this is also to make people who are part of the campaign feel like they`re part of something cool and hip and happening and now. And, you know, "The Sopranos" is very cool.

Now, I`ve got to tell you, I`m a Sopranos fan. But remember something: The vast majority of Americans don`t have HBO. They don`t watch "The Sopranos." This is very much an insider-insider deal which will work great in the primaries. It has nothing to do with the general.

And notice, if you look at Iowa, Mitt Romney, who`s pulling third or fourth place nationwide, is in first place in most of the primary polls in Iowa because he`s working the activists, the people who do stuff. And a great way to reach those people is on the Internet.

BECK: I`ve got to tell you, Michael, first of all, I don`t know if I would have cast Bill as Tony Soprano, a guy who`s a serial cheater. The second part is, I`m worried that we`ve made politics now just about entertainment. I mean, why don`t we just elect Kenny Chesney and get it all over with?

GRAHAM: I`m thinking about Hillary Clinton sitting there as the Carmella, you know, in this thing, with her large, overweight, powerful husband, and she`s using his power to get what she wants. At some point, seriously, Glenn, didn`t you at some point want to see, like, Paulie Walnuts to come in and just whack them both right there? Wouldn`t that have been great? Come on.

BECK: No, I did not want to see that.

GRAHAM: Come on, let`s make it happen.

BECK: I did not want to see that. When it comes to the Obama girl, you know, the video that came out for the Obama girl...

GRAHAM: Yes, she`s a cutie.

BECK: Well, there are parts of her that she looked like -- I didn`t mean it that way. I mean, there are parts of the video that made me think of Monica Lewinsky. There was that one scene where she just kind of looked like that. And, again, I didn`t want to bring that image again. What do you think? Do you think McCain could use something like this? He seems so old. I mean, unless it`s done by a Bea Arthur, an angry, pissed-off Bea Arthur...

GRAHAM: Exactly. The only thing McCain is going to do is to get, you know, Grampa Simpson to endorse him. "I say vote for John. He`s not a kook." But that is a very good point about the perception that people have. Who wants to be part of a tired, old campaign? And it`s not fair to Senator McCain at all to look at him and judge him, but that`s what people do.

BECK: Oh, and meanwhile...

GRAHAM: Hillary Clinton`s only problem, by the way, believe it or not, is not her policies, which terrify me. Her number-one problem is she has the highest negative ratings I`ve ever seen for a candidate for president. Almost half of America has already said they don`t want to vote for her under any circumstances. How do you get people to like you?

BECK: You don`t.

GRAHAM: You can`t do it by debating health care. You do it by doing something cool about "The Sopranos."

BECK: Michael, thanks a lot.

All right, next, I consider myself a bit of a First Amendment extremist. When Rosie O`Donnell says that 9/11 was an inside job, or Harry Belafonte says Bush is a terrorist, I sit back and think, "What a great country we live in, when an irrelevant Hollywood activist and a washed-up Jamaican musician can say idiotic things without being in prison. God bless America."

But there`s a different standard when you`re a former president of the United States. A few days ago, Jimmy Carter opened up his dentures yet again to bash Israel and the U.S., this time saying that the Bush administration`s refusal to accept Hamas is, quote, "criminal." The "Real Story" is, Jimmy Carter has proven yet again just how wrong and how dangerous someone can be.

Maybe President Carter needs to be reminded that Hamas is officially a terrorist organization that uses unfathomable violence to achieve its stated goal of destroying Israel and grabbing power. This is an ally of America. This is Israel, an ally. He says that we should be able to co-exist in peace -- oh, that`s really cute, peanut farmer -- while conveniently he ignores the facts that Hamas brutally executed members of the Fatah Party, sometimes right in front of their wives and children.

Remember, these were people that shared their religion. These were Arabs. These were people that agreed they should wipe Israel off the map, people they supposedly had something in common with. If they greet fellow Muslims with brutal executions, what do you think they`re going to do to Christians or the Jews?

This morning on my radio show, Mitt Romney was there. He said that Carter`s comment showed that he has, quote, "taken a break from reality." You know what? I think it`s more of a permanent vacation. You can write this idiocy off as ramblings of a deranged, misguided old man, but the fact is an ex-president has comments and they hold weight. That means there will always be some dope out there that will listen to him.

He may have the right to say these things, but given his position in the world, he`s got the responsibility to not say these things, or at least Rosalynn should just cover the pie hole when he starts.

Joe Mowbray, he is a syndicated columnist who was in Palestine during the `06 elections there. Do you believe these are anti-Semitic comments, hate-mongering comments, or just misguided?

JOE MOWBRAY, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: Well, I mean, clearly he`s misguided. But you know, Glenn, you always want to give somebody the benefit of the doubt when, as a conservative, you`ve had every name in the book thrown at you, right?

BECK: Sure.

MOWBRAY: But at a certain point, you do so many things that you don`t really deserve the benefit of the doubt anymore. And I think that applies to Jimmy Carter. You know, when he praises the discipline of Hamas, you want to write it off. You want to say, "OK, this guy, he`s a doddering old man. He just kind of misspoke." But you look at the context of his remarks over the years, and I don`t think he did.

BECK: No.

MOWBRAY: He was praising the ruthless efficiency of the murderous Hamas; that`s exactly what he was doing.

BECK: I don`t understand. When I read the story of Hamas, and how they went into the Gaza Strip, and they seized control, and they took the Fatah members -- now, remember, can you imagine if the Republicans went and seized the chamber, took the Democrats out, and executed them, some of them without shirts on, just executed them in front of their children and their wives? Can you imagine anyone in their right mind saying, "Well, we can get along with the Republicans"? No. They`re murdering thugs. And how is it that Jimmy Carter looks at this and can see anything other than that?

MOWBRAY: Jimmy Carter has deliberately chosen this path. He has decided that he is going to be a bigot, that he is going to favor murderous thugs. By the way, it`s not just Hamas. It`s not just Arafat before that. This guy loves Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. He went there and declared that election free and fair, when you had U.S. polling firms going down there finding that in their after-election polls that the results were 60-40 in favor of the opposition, and he was determining the election to be free and fair.

He went to Fidel Castro, stayed in the cabanas that even the Cuban people can`t stay in, and he gives a big, warm embrace to Fidel. This guy loves anyone who has storm troopers that go into people`s homes in the middle of the night and take them off to prison just for disagreeing with the government. And then, of course, look what he does with Hamas, praising the ruthless efficiency.

You know, as the response to his book, "Palestine: Peace not Apartheid," I`d like to write a book called, "Carter," or how about this, "Jimmy: Bigot Not Idiot." The guy`s not stupid. Listen to anybody in his former inner circle, and they say that he is a pristine memory. Even now at 83, and yet he misremembers things all the time.

BECK: Joel, thanks a lot.

MOWBRAY: Thanks.

BECK: Up next, would you watch a game show on television where the losers had to die? I`ll explain.

And later, the weepy judge in the Anna Nicole Smith case may be trading in his gavel for a microphone. I`ll tell you why Judge Judy may soon have some competition on the airwaves. Oh, yes, here he comes. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Here`s why I`m outlawing vegetarians: because I believe vegetarians, that`s the first step into insanity. You go right from vegetarianism, right to the hybrid, and, you know, both of those, I can handle both of those. But then you`re all of a sudden, you know, hugging a dolphin and a whale, making best friends with them, saying, you know, to a trout or a salmon, "You`re more important than people." Yes, that`s what`s coming. It`s a very slippery slope that a lot of people are sliding right down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Now, in the history of television, there are pioneers, there are legends, and there are icons. I`m none of those, but my next guest is. He`s all three.

Chuck Barris, how are you, sir? What a pleasure to meet you.

CHUCK BARRIS, AUTHOR, "THE BIG QUESTION": Same here.

BECK: You are a guy who -- you`ve developed television. You`ve written books. You are a mind that is way ahead of everybody else. And you`ve got a new book out that has been saying something that I have been so afraid of. I`ve been saying, "We`re living in the times of the Roman coliseum. This is the new coliseum." And how far are we from the "Running Man" are we?

BARRIS: You`re right about that. You know, the new book, "The Big Question," tells that. It`s a reality game show set six years from now where the person who answers the most questions correctly gets a chance at the "Big Question," where they can win $100 million or they`re executed on stage. But, you know, this is a commentary. Of course, I would never produce a show like that, Glenn, never in a million years.

BECK: No, of course not.

BARRIS: But it`s a commentary about where I think reality television is going. It may never go there. I don`t care, but it made for a good book.

BECK: Do you remember the Stephen King book, "The Running Man"?

BARRIS: Yes, "The Running Man."

BECK: That`s the same basic gist. And I remember when that came out. I thought, "There`s no way." But you`re telling me America wouldn`t watch an execution? They would.

BARRIS: Well, they took a poll on MSNBC, and 45 percent said they would watch an execution; 55 percent said they wouldn`t. That`s up. That`s up a lot.

BECK: I bet you, out of that 55 percent, I bet you 15 percent to 20 percent of them are lying.

BARRIS: Exactly.

BECK: Or don`t know that they would get caught up in it and say, "I`ve got to see this."

BARRIS: No, there`s no question that they`re lying. I mean, nobody ever admitted to me that they were watching the "Gong Show."

BECK: I don`t know that the gong show was an execution.

BARRIS: But even that, even that, and they say, "That`s the dumbest, stupidest show. I never watch it. I just want you to know I never watch it." But you had an act on a couple days ago, and, you know, there it was. So what are you going to do?

BECK: You know, you sit here in the book, and you make this prediction. And what`s amazing to me is, you know, predictions used to be far out in the future. Now this is just set a few years in advance. Where do you go? I mean, for instance, if you went to the "Big Question," which is the premise in your book, or if you did an execution, if you could make a case today, "This person needs to be executed live on television," you could probably get it passed. People would watch it, and they would watch it for entertainment. And then what?

BARRIS: Well, you know, I think that -- you know, this is a new president, new laws of the land. Euthanasia is dead, which is a funny expression, I guess. But you could do anything you want with your body, so you have a show where somebody is executed. You know, who knows? Television is going weird places. Maybe someday they will.

BECK: Speaking of it going weird places, you lived in France.

BARRIS: Yes, speaking of weird places.

BECK: What is wrong with you? You`re from Philadelphia, right?

BARRIS: Yes, I am, born and raised.

BECK: A Philadelphian in France. Unless you`re just beating them with a cheese steak, man, what were you doing?

BARRIS: Beating them with a cheese steak, I love that.

BECK: I mean, come on.

BARRIS: I always had this Walter Middy-like dream about writing the great American novel in the south of France. And at that time, my shows, the critics were killing me. I mean, they said I lowered the bar of culture, I was a schlockmeister. I was this, I fiddled with women`s emotions. So I just said, "You know, the hell with this. I`m going to France and write my book."

BECK: Really?

BARRIS: And I sold the company.

BECK: You know, that`s weird, because I think that`s what a lot of people say about that me now, and I`m not going to France.

BARRIS: I don`t know...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: I think I`ll answer the "Big Question" first.

BARRIS: Well, I don`t know if I would. You know, I`ll tell you something else. You could get contestants for the "Big Question" right now.

BECK: Oh, yes.

BARRIS: You don`t have to wait five years. I know that you could do that.

BECK: Do you really think there`s a possibility that we, as a nation, could spiral, or a world, could spiral so far out of control? I mean, do you think we could ever get to that point?

BARRIS: Well, I don`t know. You know, Glenn, I think that the television audience, the American audience, the American public, is what I`m trying to say, is the final arbiter of good taste in this country. And I think that, if they don`t want something, it won`t happen. I don`t think -- you know, they didn`t want the O.J. book, it didn`t happen. They didn`t want -- I had a show on called "Three`s a Crowd," where the premise was, who knows the wife better, the husband or the secretary?

BECK: Oh, boy.

BARRIS: It was wild onstage, but the public didn`t like it.

BECK: Now it`s too tame. Chuck, thank you. What a pleasure, sir. Thank you very much. New book is "The Big Question."

Coming up, my very special tribute to Judge Larry Seidlin. Oh, you know him. Oh, you won`t miss him so much. Don`t miss what we have, a tribute for him, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, as you may have already heard, Larry Seidlin, he`s the goofy judge that presided over that Anna Nicole Smith trial, is resigning next month in order to, quote, "devote more time to his family." Yes. Now, in a completely unrelated note, the industry trade journal "Broadcasting and Cable" reports today that Seidlin is committed to developing a fall 2008 court show with CBS Television. It`s great, isn`t it?

Judge Seidlin, you will be missed, sure, sure, but your memories, oh, they will live on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just a few short months ago that Judge Larry was pulled kicking and screaming into the media spotlight during the court proceedings surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith, who, during her all-too-short life, showed to be just as camera-shy as Seidlin.

But Seidlin`s career will not only be remembered for his unending dedication to avoiding the public eye; it will also be remembered for his touching emotion and poignant passion that was almost as convincing as a third-grade recreation of a never-made sequel to "Corky Romano" based on a poorly written after-school special that was also never made.

But it wasn`t all forced tears. Larry Seidlin was also one of the era`s preeminent judicial comedians, a profession that sits on the entertainment food chain just below puppetless ventriloquist, talking mime, and radio talk show host. As a judicial comic, Seidlin was the best in the business.

LARRY SEIDLIN, BROWARD COUNTY JUDGE: That baby`s on a cold, cold storage room. It`s not decaying so fast. I can go over there now and look at it, and I can go back in a month and still look at it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many believed he was almost as funny as another too-awful-to-be-made sequel to "Corky Romano." Despite his shy persona, many believed Judge Larry will enter the media and attempt to cash in on his fame. However, experts say that his modest persona makes the chances of that no higher than 100 percent or lower than 100 percent.

Larry, we thank you for sort of standing up to the intimidating Bahamian justice system and fighting for what`s right. Larry Seidlin, American hero.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I`m with you, Larry. From New York, good night.

END